There’s too much to do in New York City, I’ll give you that. Just figuring out what to do can be overwhelming, so allow me to give you a few touring plans. These take into consideration that fact that many of you will only have Saturday or a part of the morning on Sunday to really see the city, but believe me, if anyone is a master of time-efficiency, it’s me. (This is Liz, for the record.)

Touring Plan #1: Chelsea

The Highline Park and Chelsea Market (and also the Apple store, in case you need a new iPad) are all within 2 blocks of each other and they’re one of the best quick trips into Manhattan because you get awesome food inside Chelsea Market (I wrote about the Market before because I love it that much) – there are a dozen restaurants to have a quick lunch at and they’re all delicious – as well as great specialty food shops, kitchen-wares, and an Anthropologie. Chelsea Market is on 9th Avenue and 15th Street. Right down the block on 14th Street and 9th Avenue is the Apple store. You might not want to spend your vacation there, but then again, maybe you don’t live in Apple-store distance and want to check out our Genius Bar.

The Highline Park also runs along 9th Ave. and it’s a park that runs along the tracks of the old elevated subway line. Well worth the climb up (there’s an elevator if you prefer) for the views and the snacks. Have you noticed a theme about my love of snacks?

Touring Plan #2: Broadway (not so much a plan as a way to get cheap theater tickets)

TKTS is the place to go for discounted Broadway tickets. You must buy the tickets the day of the show, so if you’re in town on Saturday, hit the TKTS booth in the afternoon. Not every show is available at a discount (and good luck getting Book of Mormon tickets at all), but for long-running shows like Mary Poppins, Chicago, Jersey Boys, and the audience-terrifying Spider-Man, tickets are usually 50% off. There’s a TKTS booth in Times Square and one, conveniently enough, right by the Marriott in Downtown Brooklyn at 1 MetroTech Center at the corner of Jay Street and Myrtle Avenue Promenade.

Hours:
For same-day evening and next day matinee performances:

Tuesday – Saturday: 11am – 6pm
(Closed for lunch 3 pm-3:30 pm)

Touring Plan #3: Stay In Brooklyn Heights, Pretend You’re Us For The Day, Tell Your Friends You Conquered Brooklyn And It’s Not So Scary After All

If you’re staying at the NU Hotel or the Marriott and don’t feel like taking the subway to Manhattan, there’s still plenty to do in Brooklyn Heights. Personally, my favorite store in the world (correction: my favorite store which is not Target or CVS), is a little food shop called Sahadi’s, located at 187 Atlantic Avenue, a few blocks from the hotels. It’s technically a Middle Eastern emporium, but really it is SO. MUCH. MORE. They have coffee, tea, pasta, malted milk balls, amazing homemade hummus, Coach Farm Triple Cream goat cheese, my most favorite hot red pepper spread, spinach and feta pies, and pretty much everything else ever. Further down the road at 97 Atlantic, is the Roebling Inn, a little bar that used to actually be called Magnetic Field, but it changed hands a couple years ago. It’s a nice local spot, but more importantly, Magnetic Field is where Jeff and I had our very first date and continued to go back to weekly for trivia night until the one time we won and decided to quit while we were ahead.

Atlantic has a lot of cute shops and restaurants, but I’d recommend that you walk west and take a right on Hicks Street to enjoy the brownstone-y beauty of the Heights for a few blocks, and get a meal at Jack the Horse, a tavern on 66 Hicks Street. It’s a hidden gem in the neighborhood, but well worth the walk. After dinner, check out the Promenade and the views of lower Manhattan.

If you need more to do, I will also suggest the Circle Line boat, it’s a three-hour boat tour (a three-hour tour, a three-hour tour…) around the circumference of Manhattan and we’ve done it a few times, despite not being tourists or Gilligan.

That’s it. I’m spent. I got nothin’ else. But these should keep you busy for a while (just don’t get distracted and miss the wedding, okay?).